Leave your raspberry ripples and choc ices at the door, this summer we’re heading to the icecreamists, gelaterias and, er, tea bars pushing the boundaries in the flavour department

Published: Wednesday 19th July 2017

If you thought ice cream parties stopped being a thing when you turned ten, think again, because artisan chocolatiers Jaz and Jul’s are bringing them back, and they’re doing it with style. Every other Sunday throughout the summer, the tiny Chapel Market-based chocolate house will stay open until late, inviting the Peter Pans of Islington to visit their cafe for a sugar-filled offering of DIY sundaes, cocoa-themed cocktails, hard shakes and boozy, chocolate-dipped ice lollies. And if that isn’t enough, we’ve also heard that Jaz and Jul’s have collaborated with Nonna’s Gelateria to make drinking chocolate and gelato cookie sandwiches. Seriously, what are you waiting for? Get on over to their Facebook and RSVP to get in on the fun.

Blu Top Ice Cream taught us that good things come in threes – this particular three being two freshly baked cookies sandwiched either side of a generous scoop of house-churned ice cream. Catch these incredible sweet treats at KERB markets all over the city, being served from a blue van called Barbara. Flavours rotate weekly, but when we visit, we’ll be gunning for the brown toast and jam (brown sugar ice cream with ribbons of raspberry jam and crispy cinnamon rye bread crumbs), garden gate (rosemary infused sweet-cream ice cream with fresh honey and candied pecans) and the sweet honey cornbread.

It's warm out and you're craving something cold and sweet. How does earthy porcini mushroom and chocolate ice cream sound? Or maybe a sugar cone topped with a scoop of Cornish blue cheese and crunchy walnut? What about peppery watercress and lime sorbet? Any of those tickle your fancy? We could go on, but these are just some of the flavours on offer at this tiny, small-batch, artisan gelateria, just off Leicester Square, where co-owner Antonio and his team make everything from scratch in store everyday. They've developed over 90 different flavour combinations and the menu changes daily with the seasons. If you can stomach navigating the crowds, then this is definitely one to visit next time you're in Soho on a hot day.

If you really want to try something different, dive into Borough Market and make your way to Greedy Goat’s small-batch artisan ice cream stall, near Southwark Cathedral. Made with fresh goat’s milk sourced from its farm in the south west, the ice cream is creamy and smooth with a texture not dissimilar to Italian gelato. The menu changes monthly to reflect seasonal produce, but expect to see plethora of quirky flavours, like strawberry and balsamic vinegar, gin and tonic, carrot cake or raspberry and chilli.

Milk Train is a sugar addict's dream. There are only three flavours on offer here (matcha, vanilla and the daily special), but that doesn’t mean you’re limited – this tiny icecreamist just off Covent Garden is home to the Insta-famous candyfloss cloud cones. Pick your flavour and watch as your waffle cone is cocooned in a puff of candyfloss, and decorated with more toppings than you ever thought one ice cream could possibly hold, from Oreo crumb to popcorn, and rainbow drops to panda biscuits. It's finally finished off with a drizzle (read: deluge) of sweet, sticky sauce. The multitude of combinations is endless, and the trip to the dentist afterwards is inevitable.

Italy meets Notting Hill at this authentic-feeling gelateria in west London. From Nutella to stracciatella and panna cotta, there's a lot of traditional Italian flavours going on. But that's not the best bit. Instead, turn your eye from the rows of freshly churned gelato and focus on the river of melted chocolate cascading from a shining silver tap on the marble counter. We probably don't have to tell you this, but their warm hazelnut chocolate sauce is probably the most indulgent way to top off a cone of the sweet stuff.

Julie Fisher’s career as an icecreamist started in 2011 with a small Saturday market stall in Tufnell Park. Six years on and she has two sites permanent sites (one next to Kings Cross and another on Fortess Road) and over 150 different flavours under her belt. Made from organic milk, free-range eggs and fresh fruit, the ice creams on offer change between sites and seasons, but some of her previous flavours include aromatic white chocolate and cardamom; seville orange marmalade ripple; floral violet and honey; and spicy pineapple and chilli.

Have you ever sipped on a piping hot cup of tea and thought “this would taste even better ice cold with a healthy dose of sugar and creamy, full fat milk”? No, we hadn’t either – until we heard about Good & Proper Tea’s collaboration with Leigh-on-Sea organic icecreamist Poco Gelato. Available throughout July and August, its three flavours combine all that’s good about a summer cone with the comforting taste of tea. Head to Good & Proper Tea’s tea bar in Shoreditch for a scoop (or three) of wild rooibos and vanilla, spiced assam and raisin, and lemongrass and ginger.

Dominique Ansel’s cronuts might have found him internet fame, but once you’ve bitten into one of his gooey frozen s’mores, you’ll soon realise that there’s a lot more than just crisp pastry donuts to lust over at his NYC-style bakery next to Victoria coach station. Built around a bamboo skewer, these giant rectangles of pillowy, toasted marshmallows have a surprise ice-cold centre of chocolate chip-studded vanilla ice cream. Each one is blow torched by hand and then served up in a little paper boat. They’re a hefty offering and definitely not something to try on a full stomach, so arrive with an appetite – or a serious sugar craving.

If the distant sound of the ice cream van used to make you dive under the sofa in search of stray coins as a child, then Soft Serve Society is definitely for you. Find its team pulling silky smooth swirls of – yes, you guessed it – soft serve ice cream in a tiny 3m-wide lot in Shoreditch’s Box Park. The rota of insta-worthy flavours changes weekly, but word on the street is that the on-trend charcoal and coconut in a jet black waffle cone, topped with a giant toasted marshmallow, is a must-try.